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Starfleet Corps of Engineers
See also: ''Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers, an eBook series.'' The Starfleet Corps of Engineers (also referred to as "Starfleet Engineering Corps" or SCE) was a special projects division of Starfleet, assigned to deal with projects and missions requiring high degrees of engineering expertise. History The corps was founded in 2156, as part of the United Earth Starfleet. They were originally an assortment of Starfleet engineers sent to build Starbase 1 in the Algeron system. The group informally called themselves the Starfleet Corps of Engineers. Once the base was completed, Admiral Gardner made the title official, as he wanted to keep the efficient crew together and move them to a new project. ( ) Prior to the late 23rd century, the SCE was considered a low priority by Starfleet, in terms of providing equipment and ships. In 2264, under the orders of then SCE commander Captain Robert Andreassi, they received three decades-old decommissioned ships for their use: the , the , and the . ( ; ) Through the latter half of the century, the SCE's regard within Starfleet grew, undertaking missions such as asteroid excavation for use by the Genesis Project. ( ) In 2269, Starfleet Corps of Engineering personnel were dispatched to Talin IV to study the wreckage of the , under the belief that its nacelle was being drawn away from the ship and into subspace. Later, the Corps was assigned with converting one of the gas giants in the Talin system to provide food for an ancient spaceborne lifeform dubbed "The One". ( }}) In 2279, Starfleet created a new position, the Starfleet Corps of Engineers Command Liaison. Mahmud al-Khaled, formerly the commander of the Corps detachment aboard the USS Lovell, was the first to hold this position. It was later held by Admiral John Harriman, and then Captain Montgomery Scott. ( ; }}) Modern-day operations The Starfleet Corps of Engineers was headed by the Starfleet Corps of Engineers Command Liaison, based in the Tucker Memorial Building on the grounds of Starfleet Headquarters. ( ) Ship-based Corps The Starfleet Corps of Engineers continued to maintain their own dedicated vessels throughout the 24th century, including older vessels such as the in the 2360s. By the 2370s, however, it was decided to give the SCE four newly launched ships: the , , , and . The chain of command on SCE ships differed from other Starfleet vessels in that, while the head of the SCE team served also as the ship's first officer, this person also reported directly to the Starfleet Corps of Engineers Command Liaison. ( ) Other operations The SCE also maintained other teams, assigned as needed to planets, starships, and starbases. An SCE team commanded by Captain Ochoa worked on Naia VII, mining materials vital to rebuilding Starfleet's defenses following the Battle of Wolf 359. They were ordered to meet specific quotas and to maintain those quotas despite the dangers, which led to reduced safety standards. Though an engineering achievement, the mining operation was difficult and dangerous, and the personnel particularly stressed. In 2368, a mine flooded, killing eight and injuring twenty-two. ( }}) In 2369, a Corps of Engineers team were among the first Starfleet personnel to board Deep Space 9, shortly after the Cardassians had left. ( }}) The SCE were unable to get four of the station fusion reactors operational again. ( }}) The Corps of Engineers had difficulty in finding ways to combat the Dominion's small but devastatingly powerful fighters until Benjamin Sisko and his crew captured one on Torga IV in the Gamma Quadrant in 2373. ( }}) A team of thirty-five SCE engineers were usually assigned to Deep Space 9. However, following the Dominion War, only half of that contingent remained on the station, resulting in any qualified engineering personnel being put to work on a major refit of the station in 2376. ( ) After Deep Space 9's fusion core was destroyed as a result of sabotage by Kitana'klan, the SCE worked with Nog to obtain a new one from Empok Nor. The SCE team had left the station by the time of the Gateways Crisis, leaving them unable to repair Bajor's industrial replicators. ( ; ) SCE engineers were charged with removing Lieutenant Commander Data's emotion chip following the tragedy at the Rashanar Battle Site. ( ) ''Online'' timeline Miles O'Brien was made head of the SCE in 2401. He was the first non-commissioned officer to hold the post. ( ) The SCE was responsible for the new redesign of Earth Spacedock. ''Destiny'' timeline An SCE team was stationed on Deep Space 3 under command of Lieutenant Commander Kareem Mussad. Following the Borg Invasion of 2381, this team led "Project Reassimilation", an effort to reverse engineer the deactivated and abandoned technology left behind by the Caeliar. ( ) Personnel See: Corps of Engineers personnel Starships * * * * * * * * * * Appendix Connections External link * * Corps of Engineers, Starfleet